The Decision
by adromir
Summary: Ed gets terribly pissed when Sam disobeys his orders. But then Sam does something else that almost changes the dynamics of the team.


**Hi. It's me again. Still in the throes of Flashpoint fever. **

**I got the idea of writing this particular fic after watching the Season 4 episode 'Wild Card'. I wonder, how would Ed react if Sam **_**did**_** shoot the tyres? **

**Anyway, here's **_**my**_** version of a related scenario about these two awesome characters. Enjoy.**

**SUMMARY : Ed gets terribly pissed when Sam disobeys his orders. But then Sam does something else that almost changes the dynamics of the team.**

* * *

><p>"What the hell were you thinking?" snapped Ed, "I told you to hold fire, Sam!"<p>

The blond SRU officer slightly lowered his gaze as his team leader confronted him, but he didn't fully back down. Sam knew he had disobeyed a direct order, so he was prepared to face the consequences. Yet he also knew he had done the best thing possible considering the situation. If he had not shot the tyres, the van full of terrorists would have escaped with their hostage before vanishing deeper into the city. Team One had parked on the other side of the abandoned warehouse, and it would have cost them extra time to get to their vehicle to give chase.

"I made the right call, Ed," Sam replied in his defense. "The subjects are now in custody and the hostage is secured, fully unharmed. Besides they were carrying explosives ready to detonate. We just can't allow them to roam free and be an even bigger threat to the—"

"It was not _your_ call!" Ed shouted, giving Sam a hard jab in the chest that caused the younger man's back to bounce against the wall of the building. "Things could go wrong in different ways. The van would have flipped over, the bomb might have exploded, and the subjects could have fired their guns and kill the hostage in the process. Did you ever think of that?"

"Ed, given the speed things were rolling, there wasn't even time to second guess. I acted based on my deductions that letting the van loose will only make matters worse."

"Listen here carefully, Braddock," Ed emitted in a low cold tone, fuming. "As long as I'm the team leader, _I_ make the decision here, not you. I may be in the wrong but I need know that I always have my team's total cooperation and support. You going lone ranger on us just now could have badly messed things up and the entire team would have to wear it. From now on, you stick to the script. Whatever I say goes. You got that?"

Though awfully smarted by the reprimand and dying to snipe back in response, Sam reined in his rising temper. He had been instilled with strict discipline his entire life. He, of all people, knew better than to challenge the line of commands.

"I asked you a question, Braddock." Ed's eyes drew to a slit, so angry that he was. "Do you copy?"

Sam solemnly nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Good. Don't ever forget that."

"Ed," Parker's voice sounded in their headsets. The Sergeant stood observing them from a hundred yards away by the stranded van. "I need you here."

Sending Sam a last glare, Ed replied, "Coming, Boss."

Watching Ed go, Sam then exhaled and straightened his spine before joining the rest of the team. Raf and Spike were coordinating with the unis over the detained subjects. There were four of them, all young men with twisted ideas about freedom in expressing their opinions. They were armed to the teeth, with sub-machine guns and automatic pistols, but Team One had managed to overpower them when the van careened into a ditch soon after the tyres blew.

Meanwhile, Jules was staying close to the hostage who sat at the back of the ambulance. The man called Olsen, an explosive specialist who had been kidnapped from his own home a week ago to create the lethal cargo the terrorists were carrying, was having his cuts and bruises treated. He was extremely lucky to escape with just minor injuries.

"How's he doing?" Sam asked, the moment Jules stepped away from the hostage.

"He'll be alright, but they're taking him to the hospital for observation. Just in case," she replied. Tilting her head to one side, she closely looked at him. "How are _you_ doing?"

He managed a weak smile. "Need you ask?"

Chuckling, she patted his arm consolingly. "Let's talk about that later. We have too much things on our plate right now."

"Right," Sam grudgingly agreed. "Did Olsen say anything else?"

"He is still in great shock, near to hysterics in fact. Slightly incoherent. And he keeps asking me about Mary Kate."

By that time, Raf and Spike had come near. They all exchanged glances. "Who's Mary Kate?"

"No idea." Jules shrugged. "Definitely not his wife or daughter or sister. We already knew his background. That man has no family."

"His girlfriend, maybe?"

Sam was frowning. "Did you guys notice the bomb inside the van?"

Spike nodded. "Of course. I made sure it is defused. Why?"

"What's the reason they wrote the word 'Ashley' on the white masking tape that binds the thing together?"

"Yeah, that bothers me too. It's as if they give it name or something…" Spike's eyes widened when understanding dawned. "Oh, shit."

"Exactly." Sam nodded. "The Olsen twins."

"Wait, guys. You've lost me," Raf voiced out, confused. "What the heck are you talking about?"

"Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. The famous Hollywood twins," Jules softly said, also starting to get the picture.

"It fits. The bomb maker is Olsen, so they called the bombs Mary-Kate and Ashley," Sam remarked, his face grim.

"Bombs. As in _two_ bombs?"

"That's right. Ashley is here, so where's the other one?"

Jules had turned pale. "I think we need to tell Ed and Sarge."

* * *

><p>"Radio off, Ed," said Parker, doing the same to his.<p>

Scowling, the team leader did as he was told. "What is it, Boss?"

The Sergeant's smile was benign when he spoke, "Don't you think you were being too harsh on Sam?"

With a roll of his eyes, Ed looked the other way. "Oh, so I'm wrong now."

"I didn't say that, Ed."

"Sam disobeyed a direct order."

"He did what he thought was best."

"It could have gone terribly wrong!"

"Good thing for us, it didn't. We got the bad guys and the hostage is saved. That's the main objective, right?"

"So you're taking his side on this?"

Parker shook his head. "Ed, this is not about taking sides. Yes, Sam disobeyed you. He did the complete opposite what you told him to do. Still, the end result is in our favor."

"This time it is, but what about in future? I can't have my team making their own decision by going against my commands. This unit doesn't work like that."

"I agree," the Sergeant said, nodding. "But you know your team members very well, Ed. None of them will take any stupid chances just to prove a point, especially Sam. He knew what was at stake when he shot the tyres. You were standing out of range, you didn't see it. Sam did, because the van was directly in his sight and so he made a split second decision."

Parker placed a calming hand on Ed's shoulder. "Look, I'm not saying what Sam did was right. Just loosened up a bit on him, okay? You go confronting other people like what you did just now, they might just lash out back at you in tenfold. But not Sam, Ed. He respects you that much."

Ed compressed his lips, frowning. He hated it when he lost his cool, and hated it even more to have someone pointed it out to him. But this was the Sergeant, the Boss. He couldn't simply disregard the gentle rebuke. As always, Parker was right.

"Guess I over reacted," Ed said with a sigh of resign. He turned to look at Sam who was conversing with the rest of the team. The young man looked bothered about something.

_Must be bad mouthing me now_, Ed figured. He then frowned when Sam and Raf rushed towards him, while Jules and Spike went to huddle around the hostage.

"Boss, we have a situation," said Sam, urgently. "There's another bomb."

Ed and Parker exchanged startled looks. "What?"

Sam quickly explained what the four of them had just figured out, about Olsen and the 'twins'. No trace of aggravation in his features or his voice following the recent clash between him and Ed, as if it had not taken place at all. The ex-JTF2 was so focused on the job that other issues were completely forgotten.

The more he listened, Ed grew more chagrin. There was possibly a bomb at large and he worried about his teammate criticizing him behind his back? He felt ashamed for having such petty thoughts.

"Guys, are you hundred percent sure about this?" asked the Sergeant, switching his radio back on.

"It is confirmed," Jules responded, running over. "Olsen said he made two bombs. The first bomb, they called it Mary-Kate, was collected by a woman earlier in the day. As for Ashley, it's the one that we found in the van."

"Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen? These guys are nuts!" Ed shook his head, bemused. "Okay, who the heck was that woman? Spike?"

"Checking the database right now," the team's computer wizard replied. He had dived into the command truck to get to his computers. His fingers a graceful blur over the keyboard as he retrieved one file after another. "The subjects are keeping mum, but that's okay. They can't stay quiet for long with all the things we gathered from Olsen. He just told us that the woman left in a blue sedan at roughly 11.00 this morning. I can get the plate number by viewing the traffic camera from the junction down the road."

"Outstanding," Ed commented. "How long will you take, Spike?"

"Seconds. You guys should get a head start. I'll give the address as soon as I've traced it."

"Okay. Boss, you stay with Spike."

"Got that, Ed," Parker agreed, already walking toward the command truck. "We'll catch up with you after we tie up the scene here."

"Sam, with me. Raf, you ride with Jules. Come on, team. Let's go!"

They ran to their respective SUVs, climbed inside and sped away. Due to the urgency of the matter, Ed didn't bring up the unresolved issue between him and Sam during the entire ride. He concentrated on the road, while his partner had his eyes fixed on their computer screen. Spike had just sent in the info on the subject's car.

"24, Blacksmoore Street," Sam rattled the address, scanning the GPS map. "Hang a left, Ed. It's just five minutes away."

"On it."

As Sam navigated, the team blasted through the busy afternoon traffic amid blaring sirens and flashing lights. Other motorists obediently kept out of their way, making their job easier. They reached the place within five minutes, exactly as Sam had predicted.

With their sirens and cherries now off, they moved down the quiet neighborhood and parked their vehicles twenty meters away from the target house. Calling for backup from the unis to cordon the area, Team One then made their stealth approach.

"Jules, Raf, take the white wall. Keep it contained," Ed instructed with a motion of his hand. "Sam, let's take the back."

The team dispersed to take their positions, their MP5s up and ready. It was a move orchestrated for over a hundred of times, all smooth and silent.

"Front door is lock," Raf said soon after. His knocks had gone unanswered. "The house seems empty. Can't see anyone inside through the windows."

"Keep your eyes open. She might be in hiding." Ed gestured Sam towards the kitchen door at the back. "See if you can pick that one."

Nodding, Sam took out his pick-lock set and crouched at the doorknob. He muttered a soft curse when he noticed something.

"What's wrong?" Ed glanced back.

"For such a friendly neighborhood, this house has security as tight as Fort Knox," Sam hissed in response. "Look at the type of lock they use. Steel enforcers. We need to blowtorch our way in."

Shaking his head, Ed said, "You bring a blowtorch in your Doraemon pouch? Let's find another way. How about the garage door?"

Sam looked up to observe the garage attached to the kitchen wall. "Yeah, I think I can manage that."

Ed was standing right in front of the garage door when he heard a noise from atop his head. It was coming from the roof. In reflex, he raised his weapon.

Only to grunt in annoyance when he saw that it was just a big, fat orange cat lounging there in the sun.

"Stupid Garfield…" he muttered.

Sam stood frowning at the switch panel by the garage door when _he_ heard something coming from inside, like a car engine running. And then there was the sound of screeching tyres.

"Ed, look out!" Sam yelled. He took a huge leap and rammed into Ed, shoving the other man out of the way a mere second before a car came crashing through the garage door. The team leader was thrown clear to land in a sprawl. Sam was not so lucky, for he was just a friction too late. The rushing sedan plowed into him, sending him flying over the windshield, up the roof and tumbling off the side. He went crashing to the ground in a roll. And then he went completely still.

"_SAM!_" Ed cried out. Running to his fallen teammate, he quickly gathered his cool, got to one knee and took aim with his MP5. The car was about to turn the corner when Ed's single shot took out the driver. Instead of running free into street, the car swerved out of control and slammed nose first into a tree.

"Ed! What's going on?" Raf and Jules came running from up front. They stared in dismay to see their team leader bending over Sam who lay unmoving near the broken garage door.

"Raf, the subject's car! Get it secured," Ed ordered. "And be careful, the bomb might still be in there."

"Ed? Ed, what just happened?" Parker was screaming in their headsets.

"Officer down!" Ed yelled back. "Sam has been run over by the subject's car."

"_WHAT?_"

"You heard me, Sarge. Get EMT here ASAP. Sam is not doing so hot."

Jules was kneeling on the other side of Sam, pressing a compression pad against the bleeding wound on his temple. Blood was also coming from his nose and ears, but there was nothing she could do about it. In fact, she didn't even dare to move him.

Blinking back tears, Jules looked up. "What really happened, Ed?"

Ed had to swallow hard. Cupping the back of Sam's head, he quietly replied, "Sam sacrifices himself for me."

* * *

><p>They found the bomb, 'Mary-Kate', inside the boot of the wrecked car. Luckily the impact of the crash had not caused an explosion because, as with the other bomb in the van, it was still defused. The fleeing woman, now dead, was the sister to one of the terrorists. Their initial plan was to place the bombs at both ends of a flyover downtown and wait for the rush hour before they would detonate them. Hundreds of live would have been lost if Team One had not received the tip about the deadly operation in time.<p>

Constable Sam Braddock was rushed to the hospital, where he regained consciousness and instantly started asking about Ed.

"Your friend is fine," said the ER nurse. "He's outside with the rest of your unit and they are all okay. It's you we're worried about. So can you please lie still and let us take care of that pretty face?"

Sam grinned crookedly at her as she resumed checking his head wound. Must be the funny gas they put inside the breathing mask over his mouth. Seconds later, he drifted back to unconsciousness.

"Oh, look. He's coming around," was what Sam heard next, maybe hours afterwards. His eyes fluttered open and found Jules sitting there.

"Hey, baby." She crooned, stroking his head. "About time you wake up. Had a good sleep?"

Sam managed a smile, though one side of his face felt tight and smarting. He didn't need a mirror to know that it was badly bruised. That was what he got from kissing the pavement.

"How're you feeling, buddy?"

This was from the Sarge. Sam turned slightly to see that the entire team was there, surrounding his bed. He grimaced. "Like I've been hit by a truck."

Ed chuckled. "No, not a truck. Just a sedan. Trust me, I was there."

"Well, it _felt_ like a truck. A Mack truck."

"Dude, if it were a Mack truck, you wouldn't even be here. We could be staring at what's left of you inside a bucket," Spike said, causing Raf to smack him in the arm.

"_What_?" Spike was bewildered. "What did I say?"

Sam had to grin at that. "So, we got the bad guys?"

"That's right. We got 'em," Raf said. "The bomb didn't explode, so no damage done."

"What's _my_ damage?"

"Concussion, contusions, a couple of broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder. Want me to go on? All in all, you're lucky to be alive." Ed's face was grim. "I saw how hard you fell, Sam. I thought you were already dead."

The two men exchanged quiet looks. As if receiving a hint, Parker and the others bid their goodbyes and promised to come and visit the next day.

"I'm going to get myself some coffee," said Jules. "You want anything, Ed?"

"No, thanks. I'm fine."

"Okay. Be back in a minute." Jules followed the rest of them out.

Taking the seat that she had vacated, Ed gazed directly at Sam and chose the next words carefully. "Look, Sam. About earlier, at the warehouse, I shouldn't have reacted that way. I have to admit, I was riding you too hard."

Sam shook his head, and winced when the move increase the constant pounding between his ears. "No, Ed. You got the rights. You're the team leader. I went against your orders. _Period_. If I were still in the military, I would be court martialed for that."

"Yeah, but still…I should have handled it a lot better than to push you against the wall like a school bully. Not one of my best moments."

Chuckling, Sam said, "We all have those moments. Don't worry about it."

"And now _this_," Ed said, gesturing at Sam's prone body, covered with pristine hospital-issued sheet from toe to chest. "What were you thinking, jumping in front of the car like that?

Sam shrugged. "It was an instinctive reaction. A split second decision. There wasn't even a time to think. I knew you were in danger and so I just….reacted."

Ed looked down at his feet for a moment before saying next, "You don't need to risk yourself for my sake."

"Well, someone has to. The team needs you. We can't afford to have you out of commission again like last year."

"The team needs you too, Sam. _I_ need you. You have no idea how important you are to the team. Sure, sometime you are a pain in the ass, but our life will be a lot easier with you in it. So no more jumping in front of a speeding car after this."

"Believe me, that would be the last thing I want to do right now." Sam groaned as pain stabbed all over his body when he shifted in the bed. Tentatively, he asked, "So, Ed. Uh…we're good?"

"Yeah, we're good."

"Is this the part where I'm supposed to give you a hug?" Sam grinned, his blue eyes sparkling with humor.

"Don't push your luck, kid," Ed growled, but he was smiling. Leaning over, he carefully gathered his injured teammate into his embrace. "Thanks, Sam. For saving my life."

"You've saved mine a lot more than I could count, Ed."

"Well, this one's different. You bled for me. I can't match that."

Jules choose that moment to return. "Hey, guys. Everything okay?"

"Yep. All cool." Releasing Sam, Ed straightened up and gave Jules a brief hug. "Look, I gotta run. Need to get home to Soph. Sam, I'll come visit you again tomorrow after shift."

"No, don't trouble yourself because I'm checking myself out the very first thing next morning."

"I don't think so, cowboy," Jules retorted. "You're gonna stay in that bed until I tell you otherwise. Is that clear?"

Sam rolled his eyes and responded in resign, "Yes, ma'am."

He sent Ed a helpless glance. "What have I gotten myself into?"

"Your choice, Braddock. Live with it." Laughing, the other man turned around and left.

Smiling, Jules placed her coffee on the side table before climbing up the bed to stretch alongside him. "Everything works out alright between you and Ed?"

"Yes, everything's fine." Sam nodded.

"You endangered your own life to save his."

"Ed is a great man, a man totally worth saving."

"So are you, Sam. You're a great man too."

He looked slightly abashed. "You think so?"

"Of course. Why do you think I'm here?" She grinned back. "So, would you jump in front of a car for me?"

"For you, sweetheart, I'll jump in front of a tank."

"Aww, my hero. A tank's gonna be very messy, though."

"I'll buy you a shovel and bucket for your next birthday."

"You're so not funny."

"Sorry. My mind a little muddle right now. Feel stupid," he mumbled, followed by a yawn.

"You're exhausted. Close your eyes and get some rest. You deserve it. Want me to sing you to sleep?"

Sam managed a weak nod to that. Jules stroked his brow and started humming,

_/  
><em>

_Did you ever know that you're my hero,_

_and everything I would like to be?  
><em>

_I can fly higher than an eagle,  
><em>

_'cause you are the wind beneath my wings…_

_/  
><em>

She lay down her head next to his. Minutes later, she also drifted off to join him in his dreams.

**THE END**


End file.
